Buccaneer BlogFest: Join Us!

Banner by Cody Underwood

Ahoy! What be happenin' this day, Mates 'n Mateys? 

I have some really exciting news! I am surprised that I haven't slipped and squeed it out yet.  Pull out your eye patches and put your parrots on your shoulder because I am pleased to announce one of the coolest blogfests on the interwebz, hosted by Curiosity Quills starting July 9th to August 3rd.  The goal of this awesome event is to help bloggers build their platform and stay connected....argggggg! We will sail the blogging seas of the interwebz and you are invited to join us! Yes... you!

This event is open to everyone. If you are new to blogging or if you are a professional blogger then join us! During this journey, you are encouraged to support ye fellow band 'o pirates.
Sharon Bayliss and I will be your captains on this wild piratey journey.  If you have any questions, want to sword fight or steal some booty....ok, ok, booty means treasure in pirate talk. Geez!

Basically, Sharon and I are here to help you and answer your blogging questions.

Me as a pirate

Ahhhhhh.....being a pirate is so much fun! Doesn't this picture get you in the sailing spirit?  

If you sign up and miss a post, we will not make you walk the plank! That is ok, we know that vacations are scheduled and life happens but don't let that stop you from signing up.  Participate as much as you can and feel free to adjust the dates if you have other commitments this summer.  We hope to get you in the habit of writing (and commenting) regularly and meet some friends in the process.  If you are not a writer or don't have a current novel or WIP, alternative prompts will be available for the 2nd week.

Now on to the specifics:

How do I participate? 

1) Add your blog link to the linky below

2) Throughout the fest, visit the other blogs as much as you can and comment.

3) Post on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with the prompt of the day

4) Re-post the Linky & Buccaneer banner on your own blog to show your pirate pride and promote the blog fest

5) Finally…Have Fun!

1. Intro Week (July 9 – 13)

a. (July 9) Introduction: Tell us a little bit about you and your blog. Post the sign up linky for this blogfest in your post. Include your other social media links so we can follow.

b. (July 11) Why you did you start blogging? What are your goals for your blog?

c. (July 13) Interview the person signed up below you on the linky and post that interview. 

*During this first week, you are strongly encouraged to go around and follow the other participants in the blogfest - both their blogs and other social media.

2. Work in Progress (July 16 – 20)

a. (July 16) First paragraph of novel or WIP

b. (July 18) Character interview

c. (July 20) Share your light bulb moment with us. How did you come up with the idea for your WIP?

3. Reading (July 23 – 27)

a. (July 23) What are you reading? What books are on your shelf?

b. (July 25) Favorite authors and why?

c. (July 27) Recommend or review a book of choice. Tell the interwebz why you love it!

4. Final Countdown (July 30 – August 3)

a. (July 30) Social Media: Share your feelings and opinions about social media and it's relation to writing and reading.

b. (Aug 1) Host a giveaway using Rafflecopter or a similar tool. If you don't have anything you'd like to giveaway, we'd be happy to let you post the Rafflecopter form for a CQ sponsored giveaway.

c. (Aug 3) Reflection post: Share your experience from this blogfest. What are the next steps you want to take with your blog?

*Sharon and I will also be hosting a treasure hunt in this last week where you can win prizes by visiting each other's blogs.

Why Should I Participate in the Blog Fest?
To sail the seven seas of the internet and make new friends. We plan to have tons of fun over the next few weeks and we hope to inspire you to write!

Make the most of this blog fest by visiting and commenting on other people’s posts. Leave comments and let the blogger know you visited. Don’t be a stranger. If you like the blogs that you sailed upon make sure to follow them so when the fest is over you can keep in touch.

If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments! 

WELCOME ABOARD MATEY!

Murder Mystery (blogfest) Suspect: Songbird

I am participating in this super cool Murder Mystery Blogfest in celebration of Michael Panush's release of the Stein and Candle Detective Agency Vol 2.  You can click on the banner if you would like to join in on the fun of this blogfest.  It is not too late! 

Miss Eva Ray was the signature late night jazz act at The Frolic Pad, an underground nightclub.  Most of LA’s well-to-do’s spent many midnights discussing private particulars at the pad.  She was one tough tart that often fell for the wrong fellow.  The men she fancied were dangerous and overly obsessed with money and crime.  They feared nothing.
Eva was a seductively slender woman with luscious lips and the voice of a songbird.  She always got what she wanted regardless of the consequences.   Rumor has it that Glow and Songbird shared a whispered discussion close to the bar the night before his murder.  The bartender of the club, Old Gary, admitted to eves dropping on their private conversation as he shined his glasses and stocked his bottles.  “Get Bent,” were the last two words Eva said to Glow before she slapped him in the face and left the premises.  Eva is said to be the last female Glow had close contact with before his death and has not been seen since. 

For more paranormal detective fun, check out The Stein & Candle Detective Agency, Vol. 2: Cold Wars, recently released from Curiosity Quills Press. If you're new to the series, you can also pick up The Stein & Candle Detective Agency, Vol. 1 for only 99 cents until 7/8/12. 

Monday Madness: Book Covers XI

It is week 11 of Monday Madness and I am going mad! Too many beautiful book covers and not enough time to go through them. This weeks theme struck me like a hand across the face. Speaking of faces.....

                                

     

      

   

     

      

I like to call this weeks theme... "Up Close & Personal".  I think my favorite cover is Oppression.  I love the colors.  I also really like Splintered and Shift because they are very different.  So which are your favorites?

Wilde's Army Cover & HUGE Giveaway! @Krystalwade

COUNTDOWN TO THE RELEASE OF WILDE'S ARMY:

This post is way overdue because the release of Wilde's Army (written by the amazing talented Krystal Wade) is soon approaching..... JULY 4th! I did get a little technical and put a countdown above...I am excited! Don't judge me, teehee!  On July 4th the plan is to read for hours in the hammock and I cannot think of a better way to celebrate independence day while enjoying a holiday away from work.

I'd like to present to you the beautiful cover of Wilde's Army.  I did not think the cover for Wilde's Fire (Darkness Falls, Book 1) could be topped because it was so stunning.....Boy, was I wrong. 

This cover is even more amazing.  It has so many creative elements.  The colors used are different from any other cover that I have seen.  (I would know...I am a self-proclaimed book cover queen!) With that being said.....I LOVE IT!!! Bravo to the illustrator!  Once I finished reading Wilde's Fire, I found myself admiring the cover with a different set of eyes.  I can only imagine what happens in Wilde's Army.  I have heard that it is full of action and the ending leaves one salivating for more.  Well...bring on the slobber because the cover has me drooling already! I am really looking forward to the release on July 4th and I hope you are also!

Also, Krystal Wade is not only talented but she is also very generous.  Check out the cool giveaway below and good luck!   



a Rafflecopter giveaway


Become a Krystal Wade or Wilde's Fire Super Fan:

Wilde's Fire on Amazon
Wilde's Fire on Goodreads
Wilde's Fire on Facebook
Wilde's Fire on Google+

Wilde's Army on Amazon (coming soon!)
Wilde's Army on Goodreads
Wilde's Army on Facebook
Wilde's Army on Google+

Krystal Wade's Super Cool Site
Krystal Wade's Twitter
Krystal Wade's Facebook Fan Page
Krystal Wade's Goodreads Fan Page

Monday Madness: Book Covers X

We officially made it to week 10 of the Monday Madness cover posts! We are champions!!! I want to give a rundown of what we have viewed over the past 9 weeks.  Drum roll please.....

Week 1: Teal Covers
Week 2: Faces not shown
Week 3: Non-traditional
Week 4: Women in Red
Week 5: Men and Abs
Week 6: White Covers
Week 7: Woods and Trees
Week 8: Steamy Couples
Week 9: Women in Black

Week 10: Red Covers. 
There were so many beautiful red covers. 
I tried to do a mixture of traditional and non-traditional covers.
Which are your favorite?  

  

  

  

  

  

  

   

I love Beastly and and Kill Me Softly! I think those two are my favorite. 

The Writer in You Blog Hop #6

((I am late...but better late than never!))

When did you know you wanted to be a writer? Did you share it with people or keep it to yourself?


I have wanted to be a storyteller since I was a kid.  I can remember writing a story in the 4th grade about the ocean and fish.  That story was picked as the "story of the month" and was published in the school newspaper.  I worked hard and felt like a superstar.  My mother always supported me.  She is actually the best storyteller I know. 

During my teenage years I was obsessed with writing poetry and in my online diary (which I have printed in a binder and hidden in my closet). I thought of it as a hobby and therapy.  I was able to write about truth, love, and my life.  At that point, I wrote in secrecy. I was too embarrassed to let anyone read anything.  In college, I took a break from writing daily and focused more on passing my classes and learning the business world.  Not sure where I lost my desire to write stories. 

In the beginning of 2011, I was inspired to pick it up again.  I had read so many articles about people who self-publishing after being rejected from the top 6.  I knew that even if I were rejected by publishing houses that I could still have my book distributed on amazon for the world to read.  I knew that I wanted to start writing again and started working on the idea of "After the Woods" the very next day.  I have been sharing my desire to write with people ever since.

For the past year, I have been writing religiously.  I am very new to the literary world and have lots to learn.  I have met so many wonderful people on this journey.  The good news is...I will be professionally published by Curiosity Quills this year!!! How cool is that?

I am happy that I decided to start writing again.  If I wouldn't have.... then I would not have even written this post. 

Where have I been?

I've been camping...but am finally home and ready to kick some writer ass (my writer ass).  This weekend, while I was biking I had several plot epiphanies.  I think that is because when I am riding my mind is truly free.  I have not one care in the world and am focused on my surroundings.  Seriously, being in the woods is one of the greatest most relaxing feelings in the world. Not to mention how physically demanding it is to bike or hike but I love every minute of it. I am always sad to come home to the real world.  The pics that you see in this post are from the trails I rode this weekend.  The view was beautiful and very inspiring.  I will defiantly be going back for those trails. 

As most of you know, I received the draft from my editor on June 1st and have made some great progress.  I am focusing on splitting the chapters and fixing other issues.  I am so grateful to have someone (whose books I absolutely adore) read "After the Woods" with a fresh pair of eyes and point out quirks.  I am forever grateful to Curiosity Quills and am honored to be one of their soon-to-be-published authors.  They have so many talented writers signed with them and I still cannot believe it is real.  (I know I say that a lot but it's true!)

When I returned this afternoon, I made a to-do list.  BTW: I am a sucker for to-do lists and scheduling calendars. So far I have 9 things written on that list that are a priority.  I must finish splitting this baby into chapters and rewrite 3 main things that exploded in my brain this weekend.  After all of that, I have someone who agree to beta read the draft.  SQUEE!!! Not someone who is an editor or writing professional, but someone who reads YA religiously.  The great part is, this person is a friend of a friend and I don't know them personally.  I feel like I will get an honest opinion and I need someone to tell me what they HATE and LOVE as a reader. 

I find that my friends will not give me a real opinion.  I keep waiting for them to say...you suck, this sucks, and then laugh in my face.  Only one person in the entire world has read the whole draft from start to finish, that person has been my wonderful amazing editor.  I should probably find a critique partner. 

Hangs "wanted" sign.  I guess I should start taking "critique partner/beta reader" applications.  :D

Dinosaur Jazz - Author Interview @Michael_Panush

Cover of Dinosaur Jazz

Dinosaur Jazz: The Jurassic Club #1

Acheron Island is a world lost to time, home to prehistoric creatures from earth’s savage past.

The island’s occupants range from ferocious, man-eating dinosaurs and savage Ape Man tribes to strange ruins from a lost civilization. It is also home to Sir Edwin Crowe, son of the Victorian explorer who discovered Acheron Island, renowned big game hunter, scarred Great War veteran, and last of the world’s Gentleman Adventurers.

But now Acheron Island has some new residents – ruthless American businessman Selwyn Slade and an army of corporate cronies. Why has Slade brought all of his modern industrial power to conquer this world from the past? Can Sir Edwin uncover his strange purpose and protect this prehistoric world? Sir Edwin’s only allies are his stalwart Ape Man partner, a beautiful torch singer with a mysterious agenda, his strong-willed sister and her archaeologist boyfriend, and a family of American tourists – and they’re about to become the last hope of a lost world.

Its Jazz Age meets the Mesozoic Age in a world where cave men, gangsters, hunters, zeppelins, pirates, warlords and dinosaurs clash for a chance of survival. All that and more is waiting for you in Dinosaur Jazz, a tale of high adventure in a prehistoric world.

******************

The Michael Panush

Hi all! I am pleased to introduce the talented author, Michael Panush.  Although he is very busy these days fighting crimes and writing, he has agreed to answer a few questions before tomorrows (6/13/12) release of Dinosaur Jazz.  This is not Michael's first page turning adventure, he is also the author of The Stein &Candle Detective Agency Series.
I am only 25% finished with Dinosaur Jazz and I can report that I officially have Dinosaur... Jazz Hands! His writing is smooth like honey and he has a way of creating beautiful scenes with words. I am very pleased with Dinosaur Jazz and haven't even finished yet 


.....but without further ado...let's give a round of applause to Mr. Michael Panush!

::roaring applause::

What inspired you to write Dinosaur Jazz?

 

Map of Acheron Island

Well, I’ve always loved stories about dinosaurs and lost worlds. When I was a little kid, I would learn how to pronounce all their complex names and had toy dinos always cluttering up the house. I think everyone has this fascination with dinosaurs and prehistoric creatures. They have the power and strangeness of the most fantastic creatures that myth can create – but they actually existed. Once I started writing, dinosaurs always seemed like a natural subject. A few years ago, I started writing stories about Acheron Island as a Western, with cowboys visiting a dinosaur-filled island in the Pacific during the dying days of the Old West. But cowboys and dinosaurs had been done a lot, all the way back to The Valley of Gwangi, and it didn’t really work out. I shelved the idea. Then, just this summer, I was coming back from a visit with my relatives in Los Angeles and I was thinking about the era in which my grandparents were born and grew up in: the 1920s and 30s. I’ve always loved that era, with its decadence, corruption, and casual violence -- and I even love fedoras. I wanted to do a story set in that time. I thought about the Lost World genre, which was popular at the time, and how the Twenties were filled with the kind of ‘last hurrah’ of imperialism and chivalry. It seemed natural to combine the two, and to write about a man who was the Last of his Kind in a world of prehistoric beasts that really didn’t belong either. I wanted to do a Lost World story with a modern sensibility, that didn’t gloss over the nasty racism and imperialism which is a major part of the genre. When I got home, I started working on the Jurassic Club stories and eventually built up to the Dinosaur Jazz novel. I’ve been writing stories set on Acheron Island ever since.

Might be random, but what is your favorite dinosaur?

 

Therizinosaur

Oh, that is not a random question at all. My favorite dinosaur is, without question, the therizinosaur: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Therizinosaur dinosaurs always have this great mix of looking awe-inspiring and terrifying – and just absolutely ridiculous. The therizinosaur falls on the ridiculous side. It’s two-legged, has a big, bulbous belly, a long neck and two giant claws, even though it’s thought to be a herbivore. It looks like a Dr. Seuss character come to life, but it could probably cut you in half with those giant claws. Unfortunately, therizinosaur fossils weren’t named and classified until the 1990s. I couldn’t really have them show up in a story set in the 1920s, without some weird explanations for the source of the name. But I’ve set a bunch of Jurassic Club stories on Acheron Island in the modern age and therizinosaurs make some excellent appearances there.

If Sir Edwin were a real person, what do you think his profession would be in a world without dinosaurs? Why?

  
  


That’s difficult to say. Sir Edwin is such a product of his time – the imperialist Gentleman Adventurer explorer of the Victorian Age, which really can’t function in the modern times. He actually doesn’t function very well in Dinosaur Jazz either, as he’s stuck working as a tour guide for wealthy tourists on Acheron Island. That’s one of the questions I wanted to ask with Dinosaur Jazz – what does someone raised to be an explorer do after everything’s already been discovered? If you’re asking what he’d do in modern times, well, he might end up being a soldier, as he is a patriotic man with a violent streak, but I doubt he’d be happy with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He’d probably end up working in some office and dreaming of better things. But if you’re asking what he’d do without dinosaurs and Acheron Island in the 1920s, then I get the feeling that he’d be sourly sitting in some ancestral estate, watching the other young British nobles of his generation fritter away their time with parties and debauchery. These were the Bright Young Things (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bright_young_things) and Sir Edwin wouldn’t fit in with them at all.

You are a very talented young writer. Is there any advice you can give to others who aspire to become a successful published author like yourself?

I think the greatest habit is to write every day. Never take breaks, always be thinking of a new project and be either writing down a story, editing a story you just finished or be planning out another one. Keep practicing and improving. I recently read a tribute to Ray Bradbury and he was quoted as saying “you must write every single day of your life.” You can’t argue with that!

******************

Michael, thank you so much for taking the time to visit my little corner of the interwebz!

I am really looking forward to finishing Dinosaur Jazz. The book will be available on June 13th in various e-reader formats and paperback. The story is as interesting as the cover and I have been hooked from the first page.  Review coming soon!

TO CELEBRATE THE RELEASE OF THIS AWESOME BOOK, THERE WILL BE A TRIVIA GAME HELD ON THE DINOSAUR JAZZ FACEBOOK FAN PAGE.  IF YOU KNOW THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTIONS, YOU CAN WIN A FREE COPY OF THE BOOK! SO....WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?  GET OVER THERE AND "LIKE" THE PAGE AND PLAY!



Visit the links below to learn more about Michael Panush or to become a super fan.
Lets have Dinosaur Jazz hands together!

MICHAEL PANUSH TWITTER
MICHAEL PANUSH WEBSITE
MICHAEL PANUSH ON GOOGLE +
MICHAEL PANUSH GOODREADS

DINOSAUR JAZZ FACEBOOK FAN PAGE
DINOSAUR JAZZ ON CURIOSITY QUILLS
DINOSAUR JAZZ ON GOOGLE +
DINOSAUR JAZZ ON GOODREADS
DINOSAUR JAZZ ON AMAZON

Monday Madness: Book Covers IX

Welcome to Monday Madness week 9!  This week's theme is "The Woman in Black."

Hope you enjoy!

   

   

   

          

        

   

     

I have noticed there are not many book covers with blondes in black dresses.  It seems the majority of black dress wearing women have dark hair.  Although there were some with redheads, there were very few.  Which cover do you like the most? 

Trying to decide what similarity to use for next weeks Monday Madness post.  Any ideas?